Food prices in Wisconsin have remained stable in the past year, based on findings from the latest Wisconsin Farm Bureau Marketbasket Survey. / Getty Images/Brand X

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Food prices in Wisconsin have remained stable in the past year, based on findings from the latest Wisconsin Farm Bureau Marketbasket Survey.

The informal survey revealed that the average cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $49.91. The cost of those items rose 1.2 percent since late 2012 and less than 1 percent compared to one year ago.

“Food prices have remained in the stable pattern since the beginning of 2012,” Casey Langan, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation spokesman, said in a news release.

The Marketbasket survey examines trends in food pricing in relation to changing farm prices, weather and wholesale and retail food marketing. Members of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau collected price samples of 16 basic food items in 33 communities across Wisconsin in December, including Appleton, New London, Green Bay and De Pere.

In the past year, 11 items increased in price, while five decreased. Half of the 16 items surveyed increased in price compared to December, while seven decreased and one item saw no change, according to the survey.

“The modest gain in food prices came as a surprise, given the spike in energy prices that occurred in January and February,” Langan said. “The food price survey conducted in March was either too early to reflect the impact of energy prices, or food retailers might have seen the higher prices as a blip on the radar and decided to hold back on increasing their prices to cost-conscious consumers.”

“As we enter the spring growing season, a late freeze like Wisconsin experienced in 2012 would cause food production disruptions with fruits and vegetables,” he added. “Meat and dairy items are expected to be what drives an expected 3 to 4 percent increase in food prices over the course of 2013. That figure is slightly higher than the average rate of inflation over the last decade.”

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Here are selected results from the survey:

• $51.54: The national average for the same 16 items in the Wisconsin food survey. The amount is 3.2 percent — or $1.63 — more than the cost in Wisconsin of $49.91. Four survey items were considerably cheaper in Wisconsin than the national average price. Sliced deli ham, Red Delicious apples and eggs were all between 10 and 17 percent lower in Wisconsin. The best bargain of all was a five-pound bag of Russet potatoes. Wisconsin’s average price was 92 cents (34.2 percent) less than the national average.

• $2.71: The price of one pound of bagged salad in early 2013. That price represents the largest increase — 12 percent — of the food items since December. The previous cost was $2.42, a 29-cent difference.

• 9.2 percent: The increase in the cost of a pound of bacon. The price increased from $4.13 in December to $4.51.

• $3.80: The price of one pound of ground chuck. It rose by 24 cents from a previous cost of $3.56 last quarter.

• 24 percent: The increase in the price of one dozen large Grade A in the past year. The price was $1.24 in early 2012 and rose to $1.54 in early 2013.